Monsters Assembled
by kideaxl
Summary: They look like us, talk like us, and act like us. But make no mistake they are monsters. Remnant had long forgotten one basic fact, the night shields more than Grimm. In Beacon Academy four monster decide to try their hands on the whole Hunter business.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Calling All Monsters

In the vast expansive region named Emerald Forest, an orange furred fox ran pass numerous trees. This was no ordinary fox, no, it was a kitsune, a fox monster. Five luscious tails swung in the air as he dashed across the field.

Hot on his trail was a horde of agitated Beowolves. The black wolf like creatures of Grimm chased after the kitsune with a passion. This was an unusual case, seeing that the Grimm rarely chased anything besides the unfortunate human or Faunus.

But the fox had earned their ire through provocation. It had been quite rude of him to drop a pile of boulders on the resting Grimm. Staying behind to point and laugh had only worsen the situation. Thinking back on his actions, the kitsune actually resumed his snickering.

As the fastest of the pack began to catch up on him, he collected wind on a single tail and shot it behind him. A rush of wind shot past them, knocking a lot of them down. So enraged, the unfallen ran over their comrades to tear down that troublemaking kitsune. The angrier they got, the more mirth entered the kitsune's eyes.

Displacing himself with some wind, he leapt into the trees and began running on the tree branches. His snickers were audible. The chase brought the group to a series of bridges holding up an eroded tower. Panting and smirking, the five tailed monster raced on the nearest bridge. On his way to the center, he caught sight of an area with a number of chess pieces.

A genius idea entered his mind. If he would take a number of them, he could easily mess up whatever plan the nearby humans were conducting. Should his memory be correct, this was the area in which the huntsmen school Beacon carried their initiation. Relics were a favored item for the quest. Leaping above one of the pedestals, he caught an ebony bishop piece. With his tail, he was able to grasp yet another three identical bishop pieces, because more was always better. Bubbling merriment erupted inside of him, as he thought about the confused and frustrated administration.

Using great aerobatics, he flipped over the rest of the area to land onto the bridge, from which the pursuit continued. Looking over the edge, he grew giddy about how high it was. The mischievous beast ceased his running. All the Grimm came to the stop, the wide smile unnerved even them. With a light wag of his tail, a mighty gust collapsed the bridge and sent everybody falling. All the while, the kitsune was calm, if not amused. For miles they fell, all manner of grunts and squeals came from the Grimm. Soon the ground was visible. With practiced ease, the kitsune touched down.

The Grimm weren't as lucky. Crunching sounds echoed as their bodies fell. Said bodies were quite contorted. As he walked away, the kitsune noticed a number of the bodies disintegrating. That was what made it so nice to harass the monsters of Grimm over human and Faunus.

No clean up required.

Giggling at the morbid thought, the orange furred fox took greater note of his surroundings. Carved into the base of the cliff was a grand looking mansion. It had seen better days. The structure was elaborate to say the least. Having nothing better to do, he decided to explore the interior. It didn't exactly scream livable.

Entering through the front door, he walked into what he assumed was a library.

"Welcome to my domain, little Mr. Kitsune", a feminine voice called out. The kitsune looked up to find the source of the voice.

…

Above the Emerald Forest was a cargo airship that made its way across the area. A bout of turbulence wildly shook the cargo area, causing the back latch to momentarily burst open. Before it could automatically relock itself, a single item fell from it. A black coffin.

It cut through the wind, whistling to the ground. The ground blew up from the impact of the coffin. Foliage and rocks spurred around. Slowly, the coffin rose. Pink hair popped out of the coffin. Sedately, a young woman pulled herself out. Cutely, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she rubbed them. On her body was a white sun dress. A Rosario hung around her neck.

"Morning? This doesn't look like the castle." Dazed, she tumbled a bit before she came face to face with a bear Grimm. It stared at her for a moment, before walking away. "Bye Mr. Bear", she said tiredly. Using her advanced eyesight, she saw multiple people traversing around the forest. Stretching slowly, she took a random direction.

Some travel time later, the girl heard the sound of combat. Waking up, she picked up the pace to see two girls fighting a number of Grimm. One wore black and red and the other had blue and white they used a scythe and rapier respectively.

The girl in black warned, "Watch out Weiss."

Behind Weiss was a Beowolf, raising its claws. "Go away." The pink haired girl called out, she lightly pushed the creature away. Surprisingly, the Grimm flew right out of the battle zone. Both of the armed girls looked at her with shocked awe. "Are you two unhurt?" She questioned demurely.

"That was neat. I'm Ruby Rose by the way." The girl in black and red introduced herself.

Coughing, Weiss collected her thoughts and introduced herself as well, "I am Weiss Schnee and I thank you for your assistance."

"Schnee? That sounds fancy."

A single twitch occurred on her lips, "Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Schnee Dust Company? One of the largest providers of dust. Don't tell me you just as ignorant as my foolish partner."

"Hey!" Ruby cried out in offense.

The pink haired girl blushed, "I'm sorry for being ignorant. I don't always catch on to current events. But it's a very pretty name. I'm Moka Akashiya, a pleasure to meet."

"Charmed", Weiss returned coolly.

Ruby was quick to shake her hands, "Don't worry about Weiss. She's just a little uptight."

"Excuse you. I am most certainly not uptight. You merely lack the maturity to take this seriously. Beacon Academy is for the best of the best, not a child jumping all over the place."

Ruby wilted from the reprimand.

"Come now, she can't be that bad. It's better to get along." Moka tried to add in.

Ruby seemed very appreciative to the support. She gave a small smile towards Moka. Moka returned it.

"Can I travel with you, just until we get out of the forest?"

"Sure, the more the merrier, right partner?"

Weiss huffed and merely put away her weapon as she began to walk, "She might as well."

Moka and Ruby cheered as they made to follow behind elegant girl.

…

A brown haired teen held onto his glasses as he was being carried away. His carrier was a muscular blue ogre. Low rumbles followed each of his footsteps. On occasion the ogre would plow down a tree or two.

"I don't want to do this. Please let me down."

The ogre shook his head apologetically, "Sorry young master. Your grandfather has decided that it's time you interacted more with the outside world. It has been decided that this was a good place to start."

"But Beacon Academy? This is too extreme, have I even been registered?"

All he got was silence.

"Please don't ignore me!" The boy cried out. His grandfather was the leader of his family, but he was just too whimsical. "Grandfather is only sending me because he thought it would be funny, didn't he?"

Once again, the ogre neither confirmed nor denied it. And that said a lot in itself.

A sense of dread spread in the boy's body as the ogre raised him in one hand. "I'm sorry young master, but I have been instructed to do this."

Said young master shook his head in fear, "It should be fine to just leave me here. No one shall find out. Please be reasonable."

"Once again, I'm sorry, but I have my orders." Without another word, he flung the teen through the sky. The poor boy screamed as he clutched his family's sword. If he survived this, his grandfather was going to get such an earful. There were so many ways he could've gone about this. He just didn't have his grandfather's skill in deception and trickery. By the end of the day, he was going to end up incarcerated.

He could feel himself descending. Closing his eyes he prepared for impact. Instead, he felt his body being held bridal style. Opening his eyes, he met kind eyes of Moka. "Are you alright. You gave me quite the fright with your screaming."

"I'm sorry. I lose my nerves easily. I thank you for the help." He was left down as he dusted himself. Now he noticed two other girls beside his savior. Rubbing the back of his hand, he chuckled nervously, "Rikuo Nura, dropping in."

Ruby sound pained from the pun, while Weiss looked contrite. Moka giggled lightly. "That was horrible Rikuo."

"Well it's good that you find it so amusing, Moka. I personally think it fell flat." Weiss stated.

The rest of the group just stared blankly at the white haired girl. Noticing their looks she bristled, ""What?" When they didn't answer her, she took the time to recall her previous statement. "Ha ha, I wasn't making one of those horrid puns."

"It's okay Weiss. Everyone have different senses of humor. I won't respect you any less just because you make puns." Moka attempted to placate her.

"Wow Weiss, I didn't know my partner would have that in common with my sister."

Weiss simply crossed her arms and huffed away.

"Oops, I think we made her mad again. Congratulations on becoming partners you two. Maybe you'll have a better time than me." Ruby mumbled the last sentences lowly as she kicked a pebble.

Having met Weiss, Rikuo thought he won the lottery in this regard. A headache already became to form for the tired teen.

…

Inside the cliff based manor, the fox merely smiled innocently before he went up in smoke. As the smoke dissipated, a young man in his late teens walked out. The figure had spiked sun kissed hair, tan skin, and vivid blue eyes. Hints of his true nature were visible by the five swaying fox tails behind him and a trio of whisker like marks on his each of his cheeks. Dressed in orange multi pocketed pants, and a simple blue short sleeved shirt. In the center was an orange spiral connected to nine tails. Resting on his head were a pair of green googles.

Hung around his neck was a blue green jewel that glistened without light. Plastered on his face was an expression of contentment. "What do we have here, missy? I didn't think that the place was haunted."

Sitting on a very high chair, a small female rocked her feet back and forth, her tail following suit. She had short dark hair and unique eyes. Said eyes were black sclera with no visible pupils. It made a cute picture along with her youthful appearance. Amusingly enough, she wore a tan one piece pajama.

"Beware you enter my domain… and please make yourself at home." From behind her back, she pulled out a bouquet of wild flowers. She grew encouraged as he delighted at the sight of some of reeds in the mix.

With the elegance of a gentleman, he took hold of the bouquet and tucked into his shirt. It didn't displace any of his clothing.

Blushing, she twisted her foot into the ground. "Marry me!"

"Going pretty fast aren't you?"

"How and when we met isn't important. My passion knows no bound. I'll make a wonderful bride, don't you agree?" She smiled demurely.

Before he could respond, a crash sounded in the room. Looking behind them, they saw that the Grimm were filing into the room. Each glared, albeit weakly.

Besides the kitsune the angry female shook in place, a fierce expression on her face. "H-How dare you? You've ruined my proposal! Take the flames of my love!" Gathering energy into her mouth, she shot a large burst of fire that destroyed a fair number of them.

Whatever stragglers that were left met their end by the end of the kitsune's tails. Piercing wind blades tore them apart.

"Stupid Grimm." Both said at once. Smiling to each other they began laughing.

"See!? Our hearts are already synchronized beloved." Holding her hands together she closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

"They just might be. Well, see you around."

As he made for the door, he found himself on the floor. Turning around, he found her clutching his shirt, with tears down her eyes. "Huh!? I'm not good enough or something. We were having a magical moment that should've ended with a passionate lover's kiss."

The humanoid fox turned his head to the side and laugh dryly, "Sorry, didn't get the memo." Pausing for a moment, he scanned the interior of the manor. A thick layer of dust covered most of the family areas. It all just lacked the emotional ties of a home. Patting her on the back, he suggested, "Suit up. There's a mortal academy near here. I could use a partner, who knows maybe our romance shall bud like the most elegant of flowers." After that, he passed a bishop piece towards her.

She cheered up immediately and hugged him around the neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You won't regret this. What's this?" Eyeing the chess piece, she spun it around.

Picking up the girl by his tail, he explained, "I've heard it called a relic before. It's just something a human put up for a test." Putting her down again, he put his hand out "Naruto five tailed fox, 400 years old."

Gripping the extended hand firmly, she replied, "Oska Duke, 300 years old."

"A pleasure to meet you." Both said as one.

…

"We have to go faster!" Moka screamed. A grand Nevermore was chasing after them. It cawed angrily, wings flapping furiously.

"This is all your fault, Ruby", Weiss cried clearly outraged, as she continued to run away from the foul beast. The Schnee's brow furrowed in disapproval.

"I know, I was wrong!" Ruby cried back, her semblance allowing her to make the greatest distance from the aerial Grimm. "I thought it was a good idea at the time." How could she have known that the mound of fluff near the cliff was a Grimm? Besides all that anger couldn't be good for Weiss' blood pressure.

"Watch out!" Rikuo warned. The Grimm swooped down to devour them. Moka held the beak open as the mighty jaw attempted to swallow them whole. Taking the chance, the other three jumped out of the mouth and clung to the head.

Pushing off the beak, she got unto the back as well. "It's going too fast, we're going to fall off."

Rikuo held her closely by the waist and smiled reassuringly at her, "Don't worry." He stabbed his blade into the neck of the Grimm so they could hold on. Ruby and Weiss had to cling unto the dark ruffled feathers of their ride.

By the time they got adjusted to the winds, they only had mere seconds to scream in fear. Just in front of them was the cliff side.

"Uuwaahh!"

"Eeeeeh!"

"Oh Nooooo!"

"Aaaahhhh!"

Moka flipped in the air and slammed into the ground. Rikuo rolled just before he hit the ground. His tumble had him crashing right into the pink haired girl. Blinking, Rikuo saw that Moka laid beneath him. A beautiful blush spread on her face.

"Are you alright?" Moka questioned worriedly.

Jumping off the poor girl, he nodded rapidly, "I'm fine, how about you?"

She smiled in reply.

Weiss and Ruby ended up making a human pile over a blonde and a dark haired girl. The blonde complained, "Well this sucks."

Turning around he saw the reason, a giant Nevermore was still flying towards them. A rustle was heard in the bushes. Turning around he saw a scrawny blonde teen in light armor tumble in. "Run!" He screamed and took his own advice.

Thundering steps were heard behind him. From the direction of the noise a red headed girl in armor ran out, "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Really!? Anything else you want throw in, universe?" The blonde girl yelled. In response a whole horde of Grimm were seen migrating towards them, having heard the commotion.

"We have to go Yang." Ruby told the blonde girl and ran to take her relic. Moka and Rikuo disregarded the relics and ran with the rest of the group. The horde raced ahead and succeeded in cutting off Rikuo and Moka from the others.

Ruby paused when she realized what was happening.

"Go on ahead guys, we'll take care of these Grimm. We should be able to make a break for it, if we get overrun. Understanding, Ruby nodded and wished them well. Her group had to deal with a Nevermore and a Deathstalker.

Meeting each other's eyes, Moka and Rikuo ran right through the pack of Grimms, surprising them. Rikuo ran ahead of Moka and cleared a path for her by cleaving all opposing Grimm. This allowed her to pick up speed to actually ram some of the bigger Ursa Grimm.

Once they were in a more open clearing, Rikuo ran to the tallest of the lot and did a high spinning kick, knocking it back. From the corner of his eye, he saw one racing towards him and another jumping behind him. The boy took his blade and did a vertical cleave, destroying the jumping Grimm while also cutting off the leg of the charging Grimm.

Moka was having a harder time. Her strength outdid her partner's, but she wasn't an active fighter. Most of her battle tactics involved running and pushing the enemies. Fortunately, her innate strength easily overcame her opponents.

Rikuo impaled another of his adversaries and used him as a batting ram as he plowed through a section of them. Eventually, his arm tired and he had to release the body. Sweat poured down his face, this was getting bad. "Mok-"

Before he could finish his sentence, an immense gale of wind washed over the battlefield. A vast tornado descended from above and tore up the earth beneath it. Two figures rode on the funnel of the wind, dual laughter echoed within.

Naruto had stepped out the funnel, along with Oska sitting on his shoulders. Ignoring the multitude of fallen Grimm, she was brushing her fingers tenderly through his spiky hair. The kitsune's smile broadened as he approached the two partners, "Yo. I thought you guys could use some help."

…

"I have yet to find any documentation of these four individuals, Ozpin." A strict looking blonde woman said as she pulled away from her wireless scroll device. A frown marring her mature appearance.

Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, leaned back into his seat. "This is both problematic and an opportunity. Four people have not only gotten involved in the initiation, but they have shown immense potential. This is especially true in regards to the fox Faunus. His mastery over his wind semblance is amazing. Even now, he hasn't released the technique and it is in complete control."

"But sir, that doesn't change the fact that he intruded on this affair. We have little information about their priorities or possible motives." The woman rebutted.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and thought her words over, "I fear you are correct Glynda. These aren't the times with which we can't be too careful. It would be best to question them before the ceremony. Please bring them up."

Glynda sighed. Her boss seemed to be in a fanciful mood.

…

In a nicely lit room, Naruto, Oska, Moka, and Rikuo sat idly. After they had reached the rest of the groups, they had been pulled away by a Ms. Glynda Goodwitch. By her looks they had been thoroughly caught.

Naruto found this absolutely exciting. How much did they think they knew about them? A bubbling of mirth erupted from his core. But he had been here for ten whole minutes. Bored he had took three of his tails and started to tickle his 'teammates'.

"Oh dear, you are too bold." Oska swooned into the tickling.

"Hahaha, please haha stop haha I'm ticklish." Moka rasped out, tears running down her face.

Oska glared fiercely at Moka. She just knew that she was trying to seduce her Naruto with those filthy flesh bags on her chest. She looked down at hers and began crying silently. She cheered up a bit when his tail wiped the tears off her face. She wagged her own dark tail in contentment.

Rikuo was smacking the tail with the sheathe of his sword.

Their interaction was cut short by the headmaster entering the room. His assistant Ms. Goodwitch followed behind.

Rikuo was sweating in fear. He was going to jail, he knew it. He couldn't end up there, they would eat him alive.

"Now children", this caused Naruto, Oska, and Moka to snort. "Your existence in this Academy leaves me in a bit of a dilemma. I have yet to pull up any relevant information about the four you."

Naruto reached into his shirt and pulled out a steaming cup of green tea. Smirking, he shook his head, "It's not really a concern for you." Slowly, the steam filled the room. Both headmaster and assistant gained dilated eyes. "Each of us came from little known outposts outside of the Kingdoms. You will not draw attention to us. If anyone asks you shall give them the same story. You believe Naruto and the rest showed immense potential. They make a good team and shall look into it no further, or draw attention to it."

Ozpin coughed and continued, "Thank you for clearing that up ladies and gentlemen. If you will excuse us, we have to prepare for the ceremony."

The team cheered.

"I try." Naruto said 'humbly'.

Rikuo frowned a bit though, "I have some conflicted feelings about mind control. It's a total disregard for independent freedom."

"Oh shush, they're just humans." Naruto rebuffed.

Rikuo didn't exactly have a comeback to that, so he just grumbled.

…

"Naruto Uzumaki, Rikuo Nura, Moka Akashiya, and Oska Duke will came up Team NROM (Neon), led by Naruto Uzumaki." Ozpin announced on the microphone. Already on stage, Naruto took the microphone from an amused Ozpin.

"Listen you all, this is the team with the most. We'll be rocking Beacon, for we are invincible", Naruto roared as the audience cheered. Rikuo pulled Naruto away after he returned the microphone, causing the audience to chuckle at the behavior.

Moka seemed completely at a loss at all the attention. Oska just looked star struck by his manliness.

In the audience Yang was cheering, "Now these guys know how to have fun."

"You better not act out like that hooligan." Weiss warned.

…

Team NROM stood inside their dormitory. Naruto took one look and sneered, "This room is crap. This is all is crap. Get out." Just like that, Naruto tossed the rest of his team outside, after which they ended up in pile.

Rikuo was the first to get out, "He could have just asked, geez." Below the door, he saw a bright light. The team gulped and turned the knob.

They were blown apart by what they saw. Instead of a quaint room, they had a vast manor like room. Just outside was a peaceful forest, not all like Emerald Forest.

"What?" They all thought at once.

"Welcome to my personal pocket realm. I believe you'll find it much more comfortable that the drafty thing the school was trying to shove unto us."

"Anyway, introduction time. I'm Naruto the five tailed fox."

"I'm Oska an emotion monster."

"Moka a vampire."

"I am Rikuo Nura, nurarihyon."

On that day three monsters that shouldn't have ever met, became a team.

And more importantly, friends.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **My muse has struck again. I think I won't be uploading anymore stories until I finish a few of my others, most likely the drabbles. But don't quote me.**

 **Please tell how you think of my characterization of Naruto. I really want to run with the mischievous trickster route.**

 **The hardest part was coming up with the name, I think NROM as Neon is a bit of a stretch. Maybe my lovely readers can put out some ideas?**

 **Please review, I really want to know if there's any interest in this fic.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: School Life

On the early morning of the weekend, Naruto was rummaging around a room in fox form. Unlike his kitsune form, he merely had a single tail.

The once organized room was in disarray. To make matters worse, this wasn't Team NROM's room. Digging through another pile of clothing, he found a brown beret. Taking a liking to it, he wore it upon his head and posed in front of the full body mirror.

Waggling his eyebrows, he made flirty noises towards his image. He couldn't possible resist, he was too handsome. As he tried out a number of poses, the door to the dorm opened.

The upperclassmen Team CFVY stared shocked at the scene of pure chaos. Coco, the leader, seemed the most affected. She held the doorknob as she bodily froze. At the sight of the familiar fox, her hands began twitching rapidly.

Her teammate Velvet, a rabbit Faunus, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. In Velvet's other hand was a ball, "Remember the stress ball Coco. It's supposed to help you."

"Stress ball? Why would I need something like that? I'm calm and in control", Coco said very pleasantly. Slowly she removed her shades. "It's just a little frustrating when woodland creatures decide to play catch with your name brand designer clothing!" As her voiced rose, she shattered the shades in her palms.

When Naruto and Velvet made eye contact, he slowly and intentionally flashed his sharp teeth and licked his lips. A shiver ran down the girl's spine from the pure predatory look she was receiving. Taking no chances, she hid behind her team leader.

Her male teammate, ironically named Fox, spoked assuredly, "For the last time Velvet, the fox isn't going to eat you. Even if it tried, you're stronger and bigger."

From behind Coco, Velvet said, "I'm not too sure about that. He looks really hungry."

Even as they were speaking, Naruto found a spare set of shades and put them on. This pushed Coco over the edge. "That's it, I'm making a fur fox coat. Come here you pest", in a blur of motion, Coco flung her body towards the intruder.

Snickering, the fox ran towards her form and leapt atop of her head and then jumped away from her. He relished the sound of her crash behind him. Running in between the rest of the team's legs, Naruto dashed out of the room.

"Get him, now", the tone of her voice made it clear that Coco wouldn't accept any rebuttals. Reluctantly, the rest of team CFVY began to give chase. It was taxing. The orange furred fox was not only crafty, but quite durable. They never got too close. As a matter of fact, they began to realize that the fox allowed them to reach as close as they did.

All the while, Coco was getting angrier and angrier.

When they turned a corner after the fox, the sight before them made them freeze. In the jaws of the beast was a familiar briefcase. Coco's briefcase. A mischievous gleam entered the fox's eyes.

"Now hold a minute. All that stuff about fur coats? That was just kidding around. You know, some fun between friends?" Coco tried.

Naruto tapped the container and a machine gun took its place. The hallway was as silent as a grave. Huntsmen vs fox and the favor was stacked on the latter. With a twitch of the paw, the bullets went flying.

"Get down!" Yatsuhashi cried out. The walls, floor, and ceiling were riddled with bullets. Oddly enough, and he believed intentionally, the gun never pointed directly at them. When the smoke cleared, the fox was gone.

…

The office of Headmaster Ozpin was expansive and neat. A single desk near a window was visible. Laid neatly all over the hardwood desk were piles of paperwork. It was the typical workload for every new school year. Tirelessly, Ozpin continued to review and sign.

By his side, Glynda Goodwitch stood watch. Her task oriented personality made sure he finished his workload. Both looked up at the sound of the elevator in the room ringing off. From Ozpin's appearance, he was quite aware who was taking the elevator. When the doors opened, the whimsical fox he had come to known trotted from the inside.

As he made his way to the desk, Glynda stared disapprovingly at it. In return, the fox smiled cutely and innocently. All she could do at that face was sigh in resignation. Victory attained, the fox scurried unto Ozpin's lap and curled up.

"You'll find Glynda, that it's best not to unnecessary oppose a force of nature", he chuckled lightly. Mirth bubbled within him as the fox snickered in agreement with him. Beacon's headmaster decides to take a small break and feed some snacks to the uncommon woodland creature. After a few friendly scratches, the fox hopped off of him.

As the fox walked away, Ozpin saw him point his tail towards him dramatically. With that done, the fox trotted back to the elevator. Some way or another, the button was pressed and the lift went down.

Getting back to his work, Ozpin was pleasantly surprised to find all of his paperwork sorted and signed in his handwriting. "Thank you", he said simply as he smiled softly.

"What are you so thankful about?" His assistant questioned.

Folding his hands, he leaned back into his seat, "Remnant is such a grand place. It's nice to see wonders that aren't actively trying to devour you. Though, it doesn't mean it won't one day."

…

"Wake up. Wake up, Rikuo." The voice calling out to him was soft and tender. Slowly cracking open his eyes, he saw the smiling face of his partner Moka.

"It's the afternoon. I let you sleep in because you seemed so tired yesterday." Hearing this, he couldn't help but be grateful at how thoughtful she was. Things would've been far more hectic if someone, say Naruto, was his partner.

Speaking of Naruto, "Where's everyone?"

Moka pressed her finger against her lips and answered, "Naruto said he was going out to 'see the sights', whatever that meant. Oska woke up a couple hours later and ran to find him."

Rikuo had to chuckle at how persistent the little monster was in her feelings towards their blonde leader. Strangely enough, Naruto was so nonchalant about it. Well, Rikuo thought that was better than being some womanizer. After stretching a bit, Rikuo took a hot shower and got ready for the day.

He walked out of the bathroom wearing a green tracksuit and a towel around his head. Rikuo was still amazed at the size of the dimension. Kitsunes had quite a few abilities other monsters were jealous of. This had been his first time being welcomed into a kitsune's domain. If he had to be honest, it was a lot more comfortable than his house. If only because his grandfather wasn't there to make a spectacle of everything. When he opened the door back to Beacon, he caught sight of a traditional scroll.

A sense of dread hit him as he slowly picked up the scroll. Unrolling it, he read the contents.

Hey my cute grandson,

This is grandpa dearest. Recently, there's been a monster that been causing some trouble for Nura clan scouts. Then I realized that it was near Beacon and an idea hit me. Why don't I leave it all to you? I mean you're closest. Besides, your poor grandpa lets you follow your whims, like getting into a huntsmen academy of all things. Be a good grandson and be mindful of my requests.

Love,

Grandpappy Nura

The young Nura balled up the document in annoyance. Sometimes he wondered if his grandfather was actually becoming senile in his advanced age. Rikuo could just envision the old man falling out of his seat laughing at his grandson's misfortunate. Before he could continue that line of thought, he hissed in pain as he jumped aside.

Looking at his partner, he found her licking her lips. A bright blush could be seen in her face. "Excuse me. I just couldn't resist. Your neck was just so stretched out." Her face morphed from delight to distraught in a second, "I'm sorry. You aren't afraid, are you?"

He rubbed his rapidly healing neck and replied honestly, "No." Many of the monsters allied under his grandfather had weirder habits and weren't nearly as nice. "Just ask next time."

She smiled brightly and raced up to hug him. Her grip was tight, but affectionate. He didn't resist a bit. Releasing him from her grip, she said cheerfully, "I'll go with you. Two are better than one, right?"

He thanked her and the two were off.

…

Their return to Emerald forest was a quiet one. The Grimm weren't nearly as interested as they were during the initiation. A thick mist covered the area. The pair reached a cavern and slowly made their way through.

As they reached the base of the cavern, they were greeted by a pair of dark red eyes. A gruff and throaty voice rumbled, "Why are you here?" The monster was shrouded in darkness. Sniffing the air, it laughed at Rikuo. "What's a mixed blood doing here? You only have a quarter of monster blood in you."

Rikuo flushed before regaining himself. "I represent the Nura clan. I was sent to investigate your actions against several of our scouts."

The monster scoffed at the direct tone of the boy. "If they couldn't send a proper monster to talk to me, then this conversation is a waste of my time."

"That's uncalled for!" Rikuo bit out.

A shadowed claw slammed into him, tossing him to the wall.

"Rikuo!" Moka screamed out. Before she could reach him, another hidden claw grabbed her.

Rikuo ducked beneath another swipe of its claws and attempted to cut its hand. The sword was able to embed itself, but he wasn't able to perform a clean cut. Pulling out, he rolled away from another attack.

Wary of the blade, the monster threw Moka at the boy. Putting away his sword, he prioritized his partner's safety. When he caught her, he was thrown aside into the wall again. He shielded her with his own body. The pain was intense, but he clutched her into his chest. Hands unsteady, he touched and pulled off her Rosary, to his surprise.

Power flooded her very being. Her hair faded from pink to silver, her eyes grew sharp and glowed red, a departure from the normally green luster. She chuckled as she left his protection, "Hold on, Rikuo. It would be such a shame to lose someone with such rich blood. " She kneed beside him and touched a trace of his blood on her finger. Licking the blood, she shivered in delight.

The monster looked alarmed. Moka was upon him in an instant and gave him a high kick. Said monster was sent reeling, his body spinning profusely. When his body hit the ground, there was a large crater that rocked the cavern.

She flicked her hair before she continued her march towards her foe. A mature hand stopped her.

"There's no need for that", Rikuo's voice was rich now. Power draped over him like a cloth, obscuring any defining features. His hair grew elongated, with the top being black and the bottom being white, and his tracksuit morphed into robes. Now his eyes too held a red gleam at it pierced into the darkness of the fogs surrounding them.

Moka looked delighted as she leaned in and licked the last bit of blood off his temple. "I can taste the Nura in you now. How curious."

The monster attacked again. But this time Rikuo shielded Moka with his blade, deflecting the attack. Immediately, he struck at the appendage and blood seeped through the wound. "Allow me to finish the rest, Moka. I was the one tasked to resolve this and my honor would allow nothing less."

"Be my guest."

Now injured, the mist had disappeared off the monster's body, but still its form stayed shadowed. A hairy face accompanied the bestial claws. "An Akashita, how fortunate of me."

The Akashita expression warped to concern for moment, before he grew joyous, "Yes. This is what I wanted. A true fight between monsters."

"Be careful what you wish for", Rikuo warned.

Their mutual power clashed around them, making the atmosphere thick. In a flash both were gone. Every swipe of the claw was met by the guard of the blade. Every slash was deflected with long claws. As the duel drew on, the Akashita grew delighted by Rikuo's strength.

Rikuo twisted his body and avoided being gored. Breaking into the monster's guard, Rikuo flashed his power and pierced directly to the enemy's forehead. The Akashita was laid low. A large concentration of power seeped through the wound. The escaping power was inhaled by Rikuo as he grew stronger.

"You, from this day forward, shall follow me."

"Haha. What might. Young Nura, I shall follow you. Allow me to see what path you take." The once foe swore his loyalty to the banner of Rikuo's leadership.

From the depths of his robes, he pulled out alcohol and two small cups, "Come let us share a drink. It is only then that we may call ourselves allies."

As they do as such, Moka watched on amused. Rikuo turned to her with a confidant grin, "What say you? Wish to share a drink with me?"

She laughed at his offer, "It's far too soon for you to think you can capture me."

His smirk only grew, "Don't worry partner, your loyalty and heart will be mine for the taking."

"We will see." She moved in and took hold of the Rosario he had been guarding. With one final movement, she returned it to its lock and her power was limited once more. In a flash of light, she had returned to her previous appearance.

…

Later that night, team NROM was having some team bonding. Thanks to the excess of water Rkuo's new subordinate had, they were able to make a mineral hot spring. Now they all were relaxing in the rejuvenating waters. Its herbal properties hid any features from view.

Floating in the water were trays of cupped dust nectar. A treat amongst monsters. Lifting up his own cup he rose it up in cheers, "To Rikuo's gaining a member for his very own parade of monsters."

The others rose their cups and cheered at his achievement.

"Thanks guys", the man of the hour said with a blush.

"I hope to see this sealed form of yours Moka. It sounds interesting", the blonde leader said easily.

Oska pouted in jealousy. As far as she was concerned, she was all the woman he needed. Her pout broke when she felt the ticklish sensation of one of Naruto's tails poking her.

"Now, now, there's no need to make that face. Seeing new things and making new friends is good. If I stuck to the same things all the time, I wouldn't have ever had the pleasure of meeting you."

She smiled brightly in return. Her anxieties gone for the moment.

Moka and Rikuo were relieved, they weren't exactly in the mood for any literal explosions.

They spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company under the complete full moon of Naruto's realm.

…

The first day of Beacon education was, in Naruto's opinion, very anticlimactic. Human and Faunus knowledge of the Grimm hadn't improved much over the last few centuries. It was to be expected, when most of their resources were spent on weaponry and defense, information just wasn't high on the list. Still, he found very little worth paying attention to.

Currently, he was pretending to listen to Professor Port's lecture. Losing the will to care, Naruto instead plucked the memories from Port's mind. In the backdrop of the classroom, he produced vivid illusions of Port's adventures.

It was eye opening. As dry as his verbal recounting was, it was quite close to reality. The class was rapt at attention as they saw Port's struggle against a horde of powerful Beowolves. His moves were fast and measured. He and the beasts were just as ruthless and stubborn. While Naruto had seen better power plays, he found the inherent struggle to be enriching.

By the end of the class, every student had gotten up and cheered at Port's manliness. The professor had chuckled good-naturedly. It reminded Naruto why he found humans so thrilling in the first place.

In Goodwitch's combat class, he ended up actually nodding off. Not only were the students not that interesting to watch, but Naruto relearned that he didn't do well in a school setting. It was too structured and one size fits all.

Of course such behavior wasn't accepted by the teacher of the class. "Am I boring you, Mr. Uzumaki?"

Blinking away his sleep, he answered honestly, "A little bit. Sitting around just doesn't keep the blood flowing for me, you know?"

All members of the class were paying attention now. They already accepted that Professor Goodwitch didn't tolerate anything less than respect from her students.

"Is that so? Far be it for me to cause you to sleep. Why don't you get on stage and demonstrate the difficulties of battling outnumbered?" Her voice was sharp.

"Your opponents shall be… Team RWBY", she announced.

"All right, we get some action", Yang cried out in glee.

Naruto cracked his neck and smiled a toothy grin, "I'm fine with that." Getting up to the stage he stretched out his five tails and looked over the competition.

Ruby, the leader, was the smallest of the bunch. A little ball of sunshine that one. Her partner Weiss was the ice queen of the bunch, usually with some sad back story. Blake was in control, or liked to act like it. And Yang was the fun one, always pumped up to go.

"Good luck guys."

"You too", Ruby was the only one to answer back. The others just got ready for a brawl. Well it was good to be focused.

"Match start", the not so Goodwitch stated. Could she sound any less interested?

"Beat them down darling!" Oska yelled loudly as she stood on top of the desk. Rikuo and Moka were more subdued, but just as supportive.

Yang dashed forward with a shout. She quickly unleashed a trio of punches. He took all three shots head on and was only pushed back a few inches. Using one of his tails, he held her by the waist and threw her across the stadium.

"What the heck!" Yang cried out.

Ruby shifted her scythe into gun mode and began to fire down on him. Getting on one hand, he began to spin his body rapidly and was able to deflect the bullets with his tails.

Using the fire for cover, Blake jumped into the air and flung her sword towards his center. So he got off his hand and went straight to the ground, narrowly missing the sword. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Weiss twirl the dust compartment of her rapier.

Rolling on the ground, he moved out of way of Weiss' vertical fire wave. Flipping to his feet, he used his tails to fight off Weiss close combat style. Tail and sword gave off metallic clinks as he kept pace with her rapid thrusting.

Ruby broke into the fight with her super speed and twirled her scythe intricately.

"Whoa!" Naruto cried out as he shot back away from her swift movements. Despite her small frame, she covered her opening with her quick speed. Clicking his tongue, he put his foot down and caught the blade of her weapon by the side.

Before he could gloat, Yang came back and sucker punched him in the jaw, sending him spinning. The class cringed at the impact. "HA! Got you."

Above them, Naruto's Aura readings didn't move an inch.

As his body hit the floor, smoke erupted around half of the stadium. Team RWBY stood prepared for any sneak attacks.

The figure that came out of the smoke shocked all members of the class. With black with red highlights, a red caped male holding a scythe walked shakily. "Hey, that was a cheap shot." The male Ruby wore black high boots with red laces and bottoms. His pants reached his knees and had red straps on the sides. A rose belt hung haphazardly around his waist. The top was suit like with red and black straps closing it.

"Is that supposed to me!?" Both versions of Ruby yelled out at once.

Male Ruby looked over his female counterpart up and down critically.

"What?" Female Ruby asked self-consciously.

Tears ran down the male's face as he cried out, "You're even shorter than me."

She blushed and yelled back, "I drink milk."

He snorted and pulled out a jug of milk and chugged it down. "Obviously, not enough", he said judgmentally.

"Enough of this foolishness", Weiss cried out as she attacked. Spinning the middle of her rapier, she sped herself towards him. Jumping over her, he struck her with the tip of his scythe and disappeared before into a bundle of rose petals before the rest of Team RWBY could open fire.

From there, the girls had a hard time even firing accurately at him, since he would simply use his semblance to move all over the stadium. Ruby was able to keep track of him and used her semblance to catch up with him. As she made a try at her male copy, a male blocked her scythe with a thick sheathe connected to a black wire.

"Need help, Garnet?" The male was obviously the duplicate of Blake. Male Blake wore white pants with black bottoms that turned purple as they reached his black shoes. His top was white from the neck to the chest and shifted black until it reached his black belt. He wore black arm guards that went to the knuckles. On top of his head was a black beanie.

"Hey, Noire. Yeah, I kind of could use it", Garnet chuckled nervously.

Noire sighed before he looked at the opponents. Blankly, he looked at his leader, "I hope you have an explanation for this."

"They're female versions of our team."

"I can see that, Garnet."

"Haha, right. I knew that."

"Wow, their Ruby is just as awkward as ours", Yang pointed out.

"Am not!" Garnet and Ruby called out. Seeing that they spoke at the same time, they pouted at the other.

Noire wasted no time and launched his blade at Weiss with precision. Weiss just barely raised her rapier in defense. Using his own clones, he avoided her barrage of thrusts. "Not good enough Schnee." At point blank range he fire multiple shots. She flew back from the force.

Yang raised her fist and ran at Garnet. With a flick of his wrist, Noire threw his blade around Yang's waist and flung her across the stadium.

"Not again!" Yang yelled out angrily.

"Stand still you doppelganger", Weiss commanded as she stabbed her blade into the ground and shot a column of ice at Noire. Jumping above it, he used a clone to kick pushed him towards Weiss.

Pulling out his katana, he locked blades with Weiss, before pushing her back with his superior strength. "As expected of an arrogant Schnee, all bark, no bite."

"Excuse you!" Weiss snapped at his tone.

"You heard me, at least my team's Schnee has the power to back up his annoying arrogance."

Ruby and Blake turned towards Noire and pushed him back. Using the clones, he avoided a few of Ruby's attacks, but Blake was able to decipher his fighting pattern. Blake sweeps him off his feet, as Ruby drops down for a finishing blow.

But her strike was prevented by a glyph, it pushes both Blake and Ruby away from the fallen Noire. "That is quite enough." The voice is filled with nobility and ice. A white haired male appeared from a glyph. The male Weiss wore an opened light blue dress jacket. Underneath, he wore a black sleeves shirt. His pants were the same pale light blue. Around his waist he wore a belt with dust pellet. A rapier was held firmly in hand.

Coldly, he eyes ran over Team RWBY before he sneered. Catching sight of female Weiss, he snorted, "Are you supposed to be some inferior copy of me?"

"Inferior!? Copy!?" Weiss locked downright murderous.

"Yes inferior. Are you deaf as well? If proper Schnee would've already done a significantly more amount of damage to a duo of fighters, especially if said fighters are outnumbered two to one. Pathetic. I'm shocked that you're allowed into an academy with that sad level of skill."

"That's not nice Eis. I'm sure she'll make a great huntress", Garnet tried to add helpfully.

Eis dismissed his partner and pulled up his rapier. Using a glyph, he nearly teleported to Weiss's side. His speed, power, and technique were superior to Weiss'. She struggled to even hold her footing. "Being pushed back already? What an utter disappointment. I'm insulted that you're my double. For the sake of Schnee pride, I'll finish this battle quickly."

A glyph appeared just behind her. Her eyes widened in shock when a giant Knight came through the glyph. "How?" She nearly choked on the words.

"How? I'm a proper Schnee, that's how." The knight swung its blade at the shocked Weiss and knocked her to the ground. Above, the Aura readings showed her nearly depleted.

"Get off of her", Yang cried as she jumped with her fist clinched. Her eyes burned red.

"Not so fast, sweet thing", a blonde male slammed his fist against hers and shockwave erupted. The two were flung back. This time it was a male Yang. He wore a brown closed coat with an orange scarf. His pants were black and tucked into high brown boots. He wore fingerless gloves and had the same gauntlet. Unlike Yang, he had short blonde hair. "As hot as you are, I can't have you banging up my buddies, see?"

Garnet rolled his eyes, "Gross bro. You're practically flirting with yourself."

"Only Yin could be so narcissistic", Eis muttered.

"Well if that isn't calling the kettle black", Yin replied lightly. "Besides there's nothing wrong with admiring yourself."

"You're not too bad yourself. It's a shame I'm going to have to break that face", Yang declared.

Like that both shot at each other. It was a utter brutal slugfest. Neither gave any inch to the other. Every blow they received, the more the hair caught on fire and their eyes burned. In a matter of 60 seconds, they were an inferno.

"You're going down!" Yin roared. He pulled his fist back.

"Stay still!" Yang roared. She pulled her fist back.

Garnet and Ruby looked nervously to their respective siblings and cried to their teams, "Get down!"

When both of their fists collided, the stage got bathe in white as it exploded. Each of the brawlers were flung to opposite sides of the stadium. Neither were able to move due to being deeply embedded into the stone walls.

Ruby was flat on her back dazed. Blake had been thrown out of the stadium. Weiss had lost consciousness. Garnet was on top of Ruby, dizzy. Noire was hanging by his own wires. Eis was protected by the knight, though it was shattering.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki", the Ms. Goodwitch announced. Above the Aura bars of Team RWBY were in the red, while Naruto's was still green, with only a few centimeters taken off.

With that announcement, smoke covered all the male forms and they disappeared. Naruto casually grinned at his team as they cheered for his victory.

…

Lunch was turning out to be nice. Naruto had been able to get a bowl of supreme ramen. His team was properly introduced to teams.

"That was so cool, Naruto. How did you do that?" Ruby complimented. She was far more receptive than her partner Weiss, who simply glared at him every few minutes before going back to her meal.

Taking the time to swallow, he made the laziest most unsatisfying answer he could, "It's my semblance."

They nodded. Team NROM had to stop themselves from rolling their eyes. Modern day people were willing to accept a lot as long as he pointed to a semblance, dust, or a combination of the two. As a certified trickster, Naruto almost felt offended that his answer had been taken so easily.

The teams continued chatting as Naruto focused on his meal.

The peace didn't persist. Team CRDL was marching their way towards them. All of them wore smug looks with condescending eyes. When they reached the eating teams, Cardin demanded attention, "Hey freak!"

Naruto ignored them as he continued slurping his ramen.

"I'm talking to you freak with the animal tails", Cardin sneered.

Naruto didn't seemed at all fazed. His friends however seemed ready to explode. Seeing that he was being ignored in favor of ramen, Cardin slapped the bowl out of the kitsune's hands, spilling all the contents on the floor.

For a brief moment, faster than any of the non-monsters could see, Naruto had an expressions of unadulterated fury. Calming down he sighed, "That was a bowl of supreme ramen with premium topping and just the right amount of broth. And you've ruined it. You have my attention, what do you want?"

"My buddies and I felt like you had to be put in your place. You were getting pretty big headed about combat class." Cardin reached up and grabbed Naruto's collar.

Oska had seen enough, she took the offending hand and twisted it… hard.

Cardin hissed, "Let go you crazy midget." The pressure got even worse.

"I think you should let him go, before you get in trouble", Moka warned, though her expression looked very put off by team CRDL.

At last Oska released him. Cardin rubbed his wrist as he and his team quickly made their leave, "You'll pay for this you freaks."

Pyrrha glared at the boys, "Those are the worst kind of people."

"Are you going to be okay?" Ruby asked in concern.

Naruto smiled far too calmly as he said, "Karma has a way of getting those types back."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Welcome to another chapter of Monsters Assembled. This was a chapter mostly to lay foundations down. I'm pretty sure I know where I want to go with this story.**

 **Please give me feedback through reviews. That always encourages me. Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: They who bump in the night

Team NROM were out for a night in Vale. This was not Vale as mortals knew it. This was the Night World. It was a realm that existed between time and space, both connected and disjointed from the reality that the mortals could perceive.

A monster and human could share the same spot in the two worlds at once. That was a very common phenomena, which humans perceived as the feeling of something watching them. Besides that humans rarely could get into the Night World unaided, though a Faunus or two have been known to slip between the cracks.

It was never a pretty tale.

The city of Vale was changed. Skyscrapers were twisted and reached high into the atmosphere. Lanterns hung around every corner, giving a haunted but welcoming ambivalence. Roads were paved with stones and flora grew wildly on the sides. Urban and rural landscapes blended uniquely in this world.

Each building was tinted in a shade of black or purple. A miasma rested on the place. Streets were covered by a mist of gray. Here all manner of creepy crawlers traversed the street. It was a thing of horror stories for man. But to monsters it was a lavish street. Faint whispers were heard sporadically; it was a sign of humans walking in the normal reality.

As the group of four walked idly, a giant foot passed them by. Oska was bubbling with excitement as she clung to Naruto's arm. She pointed to the numerous stalls stationed around them and was trying to lead him towards them. For his part, Naruto was smiling that mischievous expression of his.

Moka was taking everything in, "This is fascinating. I never came to this part of the Night World. I was always situated in Mistral", the vampire said in a tone of amazement.

Rikuo smiled, "I know some great sites. I can show you someday." He began to act as a guide, explaining a number of the shops around. Quite a few of the stalls were run by monsters that were part of the Nura clan.

Oska's eyes grew even larger at the site of the theatre. "Let's go there. I haven't seen a play in forever. There might be something romantic. All those beautiful dresses and the music is always amazing."

"Alright Oska, you have me convinced. How about you two? My treat", Naruto said. When his remaining teammates nodded, he led them to the booth and bought tickets for them all. The play was starting soon and they bustled to get into decent seats. In the end, they sat in the middle rows.

Today's show was a classic monster play called Divisions. The narrative was as such.

Eons ago there was a charismatic dragon emperor. He watched all monsters in his domain strictly. At best, he watched the human populace with disinterest. That was until his beautiful wife pleaded with him.

For she was a spirit of the planet. Her kin were in tune with the land, skies, and seas. And the human wrought cruelly upon it. Humanity was a violent people at that age. Trees destroyed, not for shelter or food, but for weaponry. Land was soured in mining for metals. Waters ran foul with the blood of the slain.

It brought pain in his beloved wife's heart. So the emperor grew resolute. No more shall the humans be given such free reign. For the heartache that his spouse suffered, the humans would bleed. Raising his hand, he summoned his four great generals and set them upon man.

It was a massacre in the making. None of the generals held any love for the creatures known as man. Man was unprepared for the cruelty and might that the generals wrought upon them. By the time the humans grew wise enough to unite, their numbers were pitiful.

As reward for their success, the emperor gave portions of the territories to each general to rule as they wished. The might of the humans were forever kept in check.

Team NROM clapped at the performance. The actors had been engaging, the music enriching, and the illusions well done. All in the theatre were pleased, except for Rikuo.

Afterwards, the group shopped around until they decided to return to campus.

…

Jaune Arc walked with a slouched back. His stay here in Beacon hadn't gone exactly as he imagined. The courses were tough and the students tougher. Now he was being harassed by Cardin constantly. To rub salt in the wound, his team didn't believe that he had control of the situation. This all would pass over eventually.

Stopping by a pond, Jaune skipped stones across it as he contemplated his life. As he was preoccupied, a figure made its way towards him. "You seem to be having a bad time. I'm willing to lend an ear."

Turning around, Jaune was mystified by the beauty in front of him. She had long black hair that reached her back. A kindly but seductive smile was plastered on her face. A beautiful but simple black dress covered her form and fell just beneath her knees.

She looked astounding.

"I-I-I'm doing fine. It's just some things in my life suck. I don't belong in a place like Beacon."

He was surprised to receive a hug from the girl, "None of that. A handsome guy like you has a lot to offer."

The compliment made Jaune blush. It wasn't until later that he learned the girl's name was Alice. From then on, he would meet the girl many times in that week. Jaune found it amazing that his flirting was actually effective on Alice. But he didn't always flirt with her, a lot of time was spent just hanging out.

At the end of the week, Alice asked to speak to him about something. She looked flustered and shy. Cutely, she took him by the hand and led him to the deeper parts of Beacon academy surrounded by trees. It wasn't too far from the cliffs. "I wanted to show you something I think you'll find amazing", she declared huskily. Slowly she began to undo her top.

Jaune blushed and immediately turned around. He heard her giggle slightly.

"Come now, there's no need to be shy."

As she said that, Jaune was compelled to look. He could see her plentiful chest and was enamored. Despite his shock, he couldn't stop his body from reaching out to her.

He saw her smirking and a sense of dread overcame him. A bulge grew on her back and spider legs shot out! Her lower body took the form of a spider with a skull symbol planted on it. Her succulent lips had become mandibles that hissed at him.

Somehow, Jaune figured that she wasn't a Faunus. Screaming, he jumped away from her and tried to make a run for it. The spider woman was not going to allow that. She spat a wad of spider webs that tripped him.

Falling to a heap on the ground, Jaune leapt up and held up his sword shakily. With a feeble warrior cry, he dove at her with his blade. It bounced harmlessly off of her. His efforts only succeeded in making the woman giggle a nasty giggle. "Poor little Jaune, always the victim. And now you will die alone." Her voice was nothing but mocking towards the frightened teen.

As Jaune attempted to break away again, one of her legs shot out and slammed him in the side. He was blown right over the edge of the cliff. He could barely scream as he was sure his ribs had been broken. Barbs on the spider legs had pierced his flesh making gashes that bleed through his jacket. A monstrous shadow appeared before him and he saw the monster reaching him.

Two horrid legs pierced each of his arms and held him in place. He could feel every barb tearing apart his flesh as it wiggled slightly, no doubt to cause greater pain. Jaune hung there helplessly as his false companion stared at him with her multiple eyes. Slowly he eyed his surroundings and saw rows of spider webbed skeletons and knew that it was to be his own fate.

In desperation, Jaune flared his Aura and it did nothing. The wounds on his arms weren't healing a bit. The legs seemed to erode his very Aura. His actions brought forth a great glee from his predator. "Aura can't save you now. That's the oldest trick in the human book and everyone knows it. Get around Aura and the delicacy known as man is all for the taking." A course almost sharp tongue brushed against his face, sending shivers down his spine. "I just love the taste of cowardice and stupidity, Jaune. Tonight I dine on human stew."

With precision, the creature began to spin a web around his form. Throughout all this, Jaune could only whimper and think of all his regrets. He had so many of them. He failed his team and his family. How would they remember him? Probably as that jerk that wouldn't accept their help. The worst was with Pyrrha, she had offered support and he had become pigheaded. Honestly, this was what a loser like him deserved.

With a boom, Jaune was shot out of his web. A feminine figure held him by the collar as they crashed down into the ground. Jaune coughed to get the dirt out of his lungs as he looked at his liberator.

She was just as beautiful, if not more so, as Alice. The woman had long entrancing blonde hair that was tied in a bun and held in place by a hair ornament. Her kimono was luxurious looking and flamboyant. What really caught his attention was the jarring difference between her joking expressing and her hard eyes.

In her left hand was a fan which covered her mouth, in her right was a beautiful old fashioned handgun. The tip was still smoking.

Never looking away from the spider woman climbing down the cliff, she addressed him, "You're a lucky one, boy. I happened to be passing by, when all of a sudden I saw some poor sap about to eaten alive."

The spider woman reached them and hissed at the blonde woman for her interference. His savor looked smugly satisfied at giving her a bad time. She was so bold as to ignore the hissing and spoke to Jaune calmly, "Who's this horrid woman with no manners?"

"She said her name was Alice. Is she some kind of Grimm?"

Both snorted at that, Alice looked particularly offended. Jaune was grasped by the collar again as the blonde woman jumped away from the monster as it spat out a glob of acid. When it touch the ground, it ate right through it. Jaune sobbed softly.

"That, boy, is a Jorogumo, a spider monster. They typically target wet behind the ears males with their seductive female human forms. 'Alice' here wanted to devour you, and believe me you wouldn't have enjoyed it."

The Jorogumo sprang at them again, but the blonde woman shot the gun once more. This time a torrent of flames blasted out and had the spider woman screaming in agony. There was no mercy in the woman's eyes as the flames continued to devour the monster. She only stopped when the screaming did. On the ground was the charred carcass of the creature. Walking briskly, the woman seemed to take in some kind of energy that exuded from the body.

"Thank you", Jaune said with as much sincerity as he could.

"No need, kid. I got a lot out of it. I'm Julia, by the way. What were you doing out here?"

Filled with shame, Jaune began to tell her everything, from faking his way into Beacon to meeting Alice. It was almost like a confessional for the male Arc.

"Didn't exactly want your life story. But I'll tell you this. Your little confessions weren't that big a deal. You're an alright kid, but you're too caught up on yourself. Jaune, you aren't some tragic hero, just a bit of a bumbling idiot."

Jaune sank his head from the rebuke before he was smacked on the back of the head with a fan.

"Stop the pity party. It's not that big of a crisis sneaking into Beacon. Worse things have been done just to found the kingdoms. Just fess up to your team and work to be a better huntsmen in training. Kids make things so complicated. Get up, I'll patch you up."

After some burning medicine was put into his wounds, they felt a lot more tolerable, she then wrapped them in medical bandages.

When she was sure that he was properly cared for, she took out her gun and cocked it.

"What's with the gun?" Jaune questioned nervously.

"Oh, this? This is meant to beat the baby out of you. I have little patience to nurture you, but I figure I can make you like a weed, durable. If you don't take this seriously… you will die."

For the next five hours Jaune ran for his life. Every second was a battle for his continued existence. Professor Goodwitch had nothing on Julia's severity.

When he eventually met back with his group in their room, he fell face first into his bed. But despite his fatigue, he smiled happily in his sleep.

Outside of his dorm room, there no longer stood a woman. Instead a certain five tailed kitsune smirked. He was gone in a gust of wind and leaves.

…

In a torch lit chamber two monsters sat leisurely. The first was a woman who appeared in to be in her mid-twenties with tanned skin and light blonde hair. Across from her was a dark glob figure.

The tanned woman smirked with her fangs protruding, a goblet of human blood swirling between her fingers. Slowly she drunk from it, finding every bit of it delectable.

The glob monster formed a white bone mask to speak from, "The humans are growing rampant. I shall wipe them as I've done before." Its voice was an overlapping of multiple growls. Said growls made an eerie sing song tune.

"I'm going to have to ask you to push back your schedule a tad. I still need to horde some more provisions", the blonde vampire reasoned. "Every time you go on your human crusade, we vampires have to live off livestock until the population grows back."

"If you weren't such a staunch ally and friend, I would've wiped out the filth so much sooner."

"I can't understand why you're still so upset about the stupidity and aggressiveness of animals. It's silly to be so shook up by them, how could animals ever oppose their nature?"

The glob jiggled and responded, "It makes me feel sated."

The woman snorted and replied, "To each their own, I suppose." She took another sip of her drink, "Aura just makes the blood so much richer. It's a bit cool to the tongue, though. It's a shame we're going to have to ration off soon. My people's hunger has run human kingdoms to the ground before." Finishing the content of her cup, she stood up, "Let's take a nice relaxing walk. I believe there's a little village not too far from here that no one will miss."

Her companion shook her body in agreement.

Human beings were pinned to the walls of the chamber. Each of them pale from a lack of blood. Soon many others would meet their fate.

…

It was the dead of night and Team CRDN walked uneasily through the halls to their room. For the past hour they had searched for any faculty, staff, or students to no avail. The ticks of the clock rang sharply in the emptied halls.

Things were strange and their worry was beginning to grow to paranoia. In the window they saw the radiance of the moon.

A complete intact moon. Remnant's history had always included a fragmented moon, pieces floating just near the whole. It nearly overshadowed the fact that the sky was blood red.

Behind them they heard a ball bouncing against the title floor. Each of them turned around and saw nothing, but the sound of the ball came closer and closer. Nervously, they continued their path, albeit at a faster pace.

"I don't like this at all", Russel mumbled in fright.

"Be cool, we got this", Cardin said stubbornly.

Their bravado didn't prevent them from moving to a brisk walk. From the corner of their eyes, they saw the shadow of a little boy bouncing a ball. They released a sigh of relief. That was until the light flickered and the shadow was replaced by that of a giant fox, until the flickered again and it returned to that of a boy.

"Was I the only one who saw that?" Dove questioned as he pushed the others out of the way to get in the front.

They turned a corner and saw that the walls were filled with Grimm masks. Each of them had blood red eyes that wouldn't stop following them. Now the constant sound of the ball bouncing had disappeared. But a new figure was ahead of them.

"It's that freak, Naruto! This has to be his fault, somehow", Cardin didn't sound very sure.

Naruto began to shake as he turned around. Instead of his usual smirk, he had a fox head! "You ruined everything! How did you know I was but a beast!? HOW!"

"C-Calm down, we don't want any trouble", Cardin pleaded as his team backed up.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "I applaud you for seeing the truth. I am a beast, a monster, and you've ruined my guise through your sharp eyes. I didn't know that there were spiritually aware individuals in this academy." As Naruto walked towards them, his limbs grew large and furry. "You're a threat. Ones I must eliminate."

"You don't have to do this, we'll keep our mouths shu-", Sky began. But Naruto had no interests in words. He lunged at their throats.

They stumbled backwards and they got into a run. Tears ran down their faces as they realized that their weapons weren't on their persons. Alas, Cardin found himself pressed against the wall as the rest of his team found themselves under the heavy limbs of the fox monster.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at Cardin's as he spoke, "I curse you Cardin Winchester! You shall never again avert your eyes from the world hidden in the shadows. Let a peace of mind be forever out of your reach." Breaking out in a giggle, he stabbed the leader of CRDL through the chest with a flaming tail.

Cardin could only scream helplessly as the flames seared his very flesh, muscles, nerves and bones. The smell of burnt flesh invaded his nostrils. Painfully slow, a symbol of a whirlpool was etched into his very chest. Like that each of the four lost consciousness.

The hallway returned to its normal state. Only a five tailed kitsune remained as evidence to the events that just passed. Oska appeared through a door just behind the fallen forms of CRDL. She went to Naruto and picked him up. All the while he was snickering at the looks of horrors each bully had on their face.

That would show Cardin for ruining his ramen and bullying Jaune too. Jaune was definitely no less important than the ramen. Maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: In the Hands of the Enemy

Life had decided to ease up on Jaune Arc. Though stunned, his team had been very supportive when he revealed his false transcripts. After the rounds of disappointment, they agreed to help Jaune however they could. Pyrrha had been especially understanding.

All of his doomsday revelation fears had been thoroughly debunked. Looking back, he felt pretty foolish in not fessing up earlier. The training with the rest of JNPR had been beneficial.

Though they paled in comparison to Julia's instruction. The woman was curt, but not unkind. When he screwed up, she wouldn't relent until he understood and admitted his stupidity. But through it all, he always felt that his best interest was involved.

This is what Jaune kept repeating in his head as he faced the dilemma of the day.

"Focus", Julia called out as though she was unrelated to the current state of affairs.

"I'm trying!" Jaune muttered. The blonde Arc brought his blade down and beheaded another one of his numerous foes.

This evening, Julia had dragged him into the hunting grounds of Chimi. These were unpleasant looking monsters that had the body of different animals with the head of a human. A lot of said heads were old men. All in all, that made the battle very unsettling to his stomach but he knew better than to run away.

If those annoying Faunus haters ever saw monsters, they probably wouldn't dare call Faunus beasts.

While Jaune was having an epic struggle against the monsters, Julia's own battle was far more one sided. Chimis were falling to her gun like flies. The ground couldn't actually be seen in her immediate area.

Jaune felt a little inadequate. With that in mind, Jaune ducked out of the way of a jumping Chimi and shield bashed another one. He flipped his blade and stabbed the nearest one in the abdomen. Quickly, he kicked the monster off his blade and sent it rolling at the oncoming horde.

Hearing their pained cries, Jaune almost felt remorse. That is until he remembered 'Alice' and the Chimis' own attempts to eat him on sight.

"We're almost done here, move over Jaune", Julia said even as she was using her heel to crush the head of a whimpering Chimi. Jaune raced out of her line of sight just as she opened fire and caused a massive explosion. She walked briskly and took in the energy off the corpses.

"The hunt is done", Julia stated.

Jaune watched her in amazement as she shook her beautiful head. Gorgeous as she may be, Jaune had no plan on trying to flirt with her. Julia rang alarms in his head that he couldn't help but compare to Alice. The only difference was that Julia seemed to be on his side. Also, he didn't think she would appreciate any of his one liners.

"You've done well to survive this long. You're far less of a hindrance than I expected", she admitted lightly. There went another blow to his recovering ego. It seemed everyone was taking shots at it. "Take these, I expect you to use them in dire emergencies only."

Walking up to her, he took the gift. It appeared to be a collection of paper people with fancy bindings between them.

"These are my Shinigami. Insert your will into it and throw it to the sky, it will alert me to your location and I will come along shortly. Do not make me regret giving it to you, understand?"

Jaune nodded quickly and put the shaped paper away. Things with Julia was always a little on the weird side.

She nodded satisfied before aiming her gun at his face. "Now get ready for another training session."

Jaune screamed.

…

By the time Jaune returned to Beacon, lunch was in progress. Dragging himself through the doors, he slumped into the seat beside his partner Pyrrha. Jaune just took a moment to bask in the freedom.

The rest of his team and team RWBY looked at him curiously. Most of their worries about his condition was dismissed when they noticed the eased expression on his face. But still the curiosity burned within them. Ren decided to make the inquiry.

"Why are you so disheveled?" Ren wasn't one for beating around the bush.

"Training." Jaune said that as though it explained everything about his condition. He ignored their looks and stretched lazily before continuing, "A huntswoman has been putting me through the paces. Julia is pretty intense."

Yang whistled in appreciation. "Well, well, well, aren't you a little lady killer. So spill, is she hot?" The blonde brawler waggled her eyebrows at him.

In opposition to their expectations, Jaune burst out into a fit of laughter. "She's easily one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen. But we'll never be like that. I wouldn't even dare to flirt with her in a thousand years. I'm pretty sure she shot me down before I spoke to her the first time." Jaune didn't look distressed by it one bit, which confused his team. "But I do have the upmost respect for her. One day I want to reach that level of expertise. She's an impeccable and knowledgeable warrior and leader and I'm eternally grateful that she's giving me the time of day. Every time we meet, I face monstrosities beyond my capabilities. Without her guidance, I would die in seconds, but she's a person I can place my trust in. I want to prove to her that I'm a good student. One day, I'll stand before her and show her the fruits of her teaching and my labor."

Teams JNPR and RWBY were amazed by the level of dedication and clarity in the normally wishy-washy blonde teen. They could almost see the flames of passion kindling in his eyes. Said effect was ruined as his stomach growled.

"Well, I guess I should grab a bite to eat before our next class", Jaune got up and went into the lunch line, leaving his friends to their devices.

"Dang", Yang commented as she finished her drink, "That must be some lady. She got Jaune on lock down. How do you guys feel about that?" Her question seemed more directed at his partner than anyone else.

Pyrrha just smiled at ease, "I'll support Jaune as long as he needs it."

Ren placed his cup of steaming tea down and added his commentary, "It is a relief that he has found a pillar of support. His strength will only advance by leaps and bounds from here."

Nora stood up proudly and said, "Jauney isn't squishy anymore! The other day I smacked him with my hammer and he didn't even squeal." Team RWBY looked at her blankly as she continued to cheer for her supposed cooler leader.

It was at that moment that Jaune returned with a tray of food. He went right to eating everything on his plate.

"So, I can't help but notice that you haven't flirted with the Ice Queen in days", Yang said while ignoring Weiss' indignant cry of 'excuse you!'

Jaune merely blinked and shrugged easily. "I just realized that this is a serious and dangerous lifestyle I'm training for and I have better things to do than trying to flirt with someone that obviously doesn't like me."

While it was logical, the statement shocked his friends. Jaune Arc that wasn't obsessed with Weiss? Ridiculous! Although, Weiss looked very pleased at the development.

"I, for one, applaud your conviction and wish you the best of luck", Weiss complimented, thus making it the nicest thing she had ever said to the teen.

Jaune had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Weiss couldn't have been more blatant in her intent. There was no need for her to be so happy about his cease of interest. Seeing her reaction, he had to definitely thank Julia for opening his eyes.

"So guys, will you help me with training after class? I have a ton of work to catch up on."

Team JNPR smiled and each of them agreed to help out their leader. As both teams left the lunch room, they passed by Cardin.

Cardin was a different person these days. His eyes were bloodshot and tortured. Rarely did he look others in the eyes, his attention seemed grabbed by something no one else could see. His gruff voice had become a dull whimper. Whatever was bothering him, it had stopped all of his bullying activities.

His teammates tried to help, but they couldn't understand most of his tirades about the natural order. Teachers were growing concerned as well because he could scream in the middle of class. In the past few days, the boy had already had three mental breakdowns.

Jaune felt bad for not pitying his misery. He guessed he was holding a grudge for all the trouble he and his team had caused him.

…

Oska was racing through the city of Vale. Her eyes were narrowed and focused, this was a serious situation. She was looking for her precious team leader and partner. A pout formed on her young countenance, her team leader was playing hard to get.

It was frustrating enough to make her pull her hair out. Why did Naruto have to be so suave and smooth? She didn't doubt that he knew how his behavior made her heart flutter. Oska had to stop as she swooned with a flush on her face. "Oh Naruto, you're so coy~."

Despite her frustrations, she could openly admit that her life had taken a very welcomed change.

Restarting her search, she began racing at break neck speeds. A large cloud of dust followed just behind her. "NARUTO!" Oska kept yelling in search of her beloved. During all of this, she had failed to actually look where she was running and ended up tumbling into another girl.

Both girls ended up flat on their backs after the collision. Oska felt a massive headache coming on. Shifting her head to the left, she saw the girl she had collided into. She wore a green overall dress and a pink ribbon.

"I thought I had a thick head", she complained. It had felt like ramming into a pole. As she wobbled to her feet, the girl excitably shook her hands.

"This is wondrous, we had a destined meeting!"

"Yeah, if that's what you want to call it."

"This is the part where we become friends. Then we'll paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" The excitable girl rambled off.

"That's… ", Oska paused for a moment and thought about it. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded! "A wonderful idea!"

"Yeah friendship!" They cried at once jumping into a hug.

"I know just the place. Then I'll tell you all about Naruto."

The girl gasped and smiled, "Tell me everything!"

Oska and the girl, that she later learned was Penny, ran to a beauty salon. Using the generous amount of money deposited into her scroll, Oska treated the two of them for a day in the spa. They had gotten their nails done, hair fixed up, and massages.

All the while, Oska had told Penny all about Naruto and how amazing he was. She then went on to describe her team and friends. Penny seemed just tickled at the notion of making even more friends.

Penny had explained that she worked with the Atlas army. Apparently there was some mortal tournament happening and she was in Vale to participate. Silly humans, they thought they had a hope of defeating her team.

Now the pair walked amiably down the streets of Vale. Oska had calmed down on her need to find Naruto. Kitsunes were known for being free spirits. When he was finished, she was sure he would find her. That was how deep their bond was.

By now, the sun had begun to set. An explosion shattered the pleasant walk between the two new friends. "Big explosions at night? We have to check that out. Maybe we'll get a good fight out of it." Holding back in class was a tad annoying. Aura really wasn't too difficult to bypass. Without Aura, humans were oddly delicate.

"I am behind you, friend Oska", Penny cheered as she flexed her arms in support and a show of strength. "I'm combat ready."

A grin was on Oska's face, "That's the spirit. Let me help you", she said as she took Penny's hand and threw her unto the roof of one of the nearby buildings. Penny didn't panic and just landed gracefully on the roof.

Oska backed up a few steps and leapt right after her friend. They nodded to each other giddily and ran from roof to roof to their destination. Reaching the pier of the city, they saw a pretty shifty operation taking place. Faunus in white Grimm masks were hauling crates into airships. It couldn't be anyone but the terrorist group White Fang.

Penny landed near a pile of crates thus startling Ruby. "Salutations. We are here to investigate."

Oska snorted. Penny was here to investigate. Oska had seen enough. They were bad guys and they needed a pounding. Leaping down, she raised her fist and smashed it into the ground. Cement and other debris exploded from the impact sight. Giant chunks of cement smashed into the criminals, knocking them to the ground. Crates were rattled and fell roughly to the ground, causing a chain reaction where they exploded, revealing the contents to be dust. A whole light show of effects spewed out of the crates and in minutes most of the people hauling crates within the vicinity were flat on their backs, groaning.

Scanning her surroundings, she found who appeared to be the boss. If she remembered the news correctly, that was Roman. She found the orange haired man groaning on the ground.

"Some help here, Neo."

From above, a woman with brown and pink hair dropped in. She twirled an umbrella as she looked over the fallen man with a condescending smirk.

As Neo went to pick up Roman, Oska yelled, "Oh no you don't." She traveled the distance between them almost instantaneously and punched the woman squarely in the stomach. Neo dropped hard, but as she fell, she broke into mirror shards.

Oska narrowed her eyes, thoroughly insulted, "Your illusions are nothing compared to my darling!" She reached out and caught open air before slamming her arm into the ground. With a crash, Neo was now visible in her hand.

Neo tried to gash out her opponent's eye with her umbrella. Oska tossed her like a rag doll in return. Before Neo ceased rolling, Oska was above her ready to drive a foot right though her ribs. Neo rolled out of the way and pivoted herself on her arms to flip back on her feet.

Neo pulled a blade out of her umbrella and thrusted right in the center of Oscar's throat. It was brushed aside like a mosquito bite.

"Still on the ground here. Anytime you're ready Nero", Roman continued to complain.

Neo rolled her eyes as she tried to make distance between her and Oska. But Oska wasn't going to allow that whatsoever, "Hold still and fight!" Her bellow produced soundwaves that shook the area once again. The surrounding buildings buckled and all of the nearby windows shattered.

Neo stabbed her blade into the ground to hold her position. Her bones rattled at the waves and damage was spreading throughout her body. Alarm was evident on her features.

As soon as the cry ended, Roman's associate dashed towards Oska. A volley of blade thrusts were aimed at Oska. In return, Oska's hands were blurs as she punched the sword at the tip. Neo's features strained at attempting to break the skin of the student's fists. All she accomplished were minute gashes that were healing faster than they formed.

"Not good enough", she said to Nero as a taunt. She broke the engagement and performed a jumping spinning kick right into Neo's face and whistled as she slid on the ground.

Pushing herself back on her feet, Neo eyes flickered with annoyance. Taking her blade, she ran towards Oska, but at the last moment, she jumped over her and made a run at Penny and Ruby. She didn't get far.

"Where the hell do you think you're going!?" Contempt filled the monster's core. This girl simply thought she could walk away and attack her friends like that? Electricity surged through her fingers as her contempt for Neo grew.

Neo shook violently as the electricity invaded her system. Clenching her fist, Oska slammed an electrified fist right into the criminal's astonished face. Neo slammed right into bundle of broken crates.

Around the pier, airships rose to the sky. "Cease and desist", Penny called as her backpack opened. From their depths came a row of blades connected to wires. The blades shot out of her backpack and stuck into a couple of the airships. Slowly, Penny walked backwards and pulled the ships with her.

A vicious grin was on Oska's face. "Let me help you, friend." She pulled on the wires and ended up tossing the ships into the ground with an explosion.

"Those two are a little scary", Ruby mumbled beside her teammate Blake.

The sound of sirens caused the students to follow the sounds to the source. A squadron of police cars were parked at the piers and worse of all there were military airships coming down.

Taking the chance, Neo limped to her fallen associate and threw a pallet to the ground. Smoke erupted all around the pier. By the time the smoke cleared up by the airships, both of their figures were long gone.

A gruff looking military man walked to the students. He eyed Oska with a stern expression, "Ms. Duke you will surrender yourself to the Atlas Military. Resistance will not be tolerated."

Oska cracked her neck at the challenge. She took a fighting stance and stated, "Come at me."

Following her challenge, each of the police and soldiers pointed their weapons at her.

Oska didn't appear discouraged.

"Calm down, Oska. This is merely making things worse", Penny attempted to defuse the situation. She appeared uncharacteristically worried.

The air was tense. Oska saw how distraught her new friend was and lowered her stance with a click of her tongue. "I surrender."

She and the others were taken away. They would spend the night in questioning.

…

Back at Beacon, Rikuo sat upon a tree in his night form. Unlike previously, it was now a cherry blossom tree. As the petals fell upon the ground, he gazed upon the broken shards of the moon. Slowly, he took a sip of his alcohol. "A disjointed moon, not unlike my blood", he lamented lightly.

An Aosagibi sat on his shoulder. The blue light radiating off its form added a nice tint to the moon watching.

Slowly, Moka paced towards the tree where Rikuo sat. "How does it feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about being part human."

"I've always had human blood. Being part human just feels like being me. Is my heritage such a troublesome thing to you?"

Moka was quick to shake her head. She leaned her back against the tree as she stared at the moon as well. "When I was young, humans terrified me. I couldn't fit in with them. For one reason or another, I stuck out like a sore thumb and they rejected me. It hurt so much that it drove me to the brink of hatred. I guess I never bothered to rectify that, now that fear has become reluctance. The students here kind of make me uncomfortable. I don't know how long I could've have stayed here if not for the rest of the team."

"Does that feeling extend to my day form now?" Rikuo questioned seriously. Her admittance came as a bit of a surprise. She had never alluded to any discomfort with all the people on campus. Though, she did spend most of the time with members of the team.

Moka took a moment to think and spoke clearly and assuredly, "Not at all. He's always been the sweetest guy I've known. I don't believe he would ever intentionally hurt me."

That statement seemed to make the sitting monster overly pleased. Rikuo jumped down the branch from which he sat. The heron flew off his shoulder and returned to the branch. He sat down lazily beside her, "Share a drink with me. Let it be a strengthening of our friendship."

Smiling she took the small cup and slowly sipped its contents. The liquid warmed her throat.

"Come on Ren, the cool lights were around here somewhere."

"Please slow down, Nora", Ren begged as he was dragged with her. He saw the two basking in each other's presence and stopped his friend. "Sorry for intruding."

Rikuo brushed off their concern and welcomed them to sit down as well. The pair started to introduce themselves to Rikuo and until Moka began to giggle. "Introductions aren't necessary. This is Rikuo."

Ren looked shocked, while Nora seemed amazed, "You have a hair growing semblance! I'm so jealous."

Both monsters wanted to break out in laughter. Semblance was like the mortal blank check for reason.

And so the four sat beneath the moon and swapped some stories about their childhood.

…

Team RWBY returned to Beacon haggard. Questioning had taken almost the whole night. Headmaster Ozpin hadn't been the happiest either.

Just around the corner was Naruto, ever smiling, "Has any of you seen my partner? She's not answering her scroll."

Ruby laughed nervously and explained the incident at the pier. "Then, she was very agitated during the questioning. She kind of beat up some of the officers."

"Don't forget the part where she beat up a soldier with another soldier", Yang added helpfully.

"Thank you, sis", Ruby said in annoyance before continuing, "They're detaining her and planning to bring her to Atlas, under charges of conspiracy or something like that. Sorry!" Ruby finished by bowing quickly.

"No big deal", Naruto finished.

Ruby looked shocked, "Aren't you worried for your partner?"

Naruto's grin was almost feral, while his eyes were narrowed slits. "That's not it. We're going to break Oska out of jail and get away with it. I need to call the rest of the team. Have a good night."

"I have a bad feeling about this", Ruby admitted.

"I do too, Ruby. Mr. Smiles seems a little dangerous", Yang said in conjunction.

…

Qrow Branwen was a simple man with simple needs. All he required was his trusty alcohol, a nice girl, and anyone with the word Schnee in their names being a kingdom away from him.

The drunken man took another chug of his alcohol canister before continuing his trek. He was on his way to a village outside of the kingdom for a rest stop. Qrow had been on an assignment of sorts as a favor to Ozpin.

Thinking of Ozpin, he should probably return some of the calls. If he didn't answer soon, they, being mostly Glynda, would get antsy and bother him.

As he come closer to the entrance of the village, the sight before him made him put away the alcohol. Just near the entrance, villagers were marching away from the living areas. Each of them had a dazed look as they were directed to airships, one after another. Everything was quick and professional, a further alarming piece of information. And for the cherry on top, the henchmen were all Grimm. Grimm that were acting in a neat and orderly fashion.

This couldn't be the first time this crew had done this, they were just too good. Someone or something was collecting people for who knows what. He reached for his back to unhook his weapon. Qrow scanned the area and found the head of operations.

She was a beauty too. A tall dark woman with light blonde hair and red eyes stood alert. With the combination of her tiara, flowing white dress, gloves and boots, she looked more like a princess than some super criminal.

Some days it just didn't pay to be a fighter. With a confident stride he marched up to her. "What are you lot doing here?"

To his mild surprise, she broke into tears, "You should've left when you had the opportunity. Now I must eliminate you." Her voice sounded downright heartbroken. It made him sound like the bad guy here.

That made him more alert than he was previously. How long had she been onto him? Pushing aside his worry, he continued, "Yeah, I can't exactly let this slide. It kind of comes with the job, huntsman you know?"

Getting into a fighting stance, he struck first. With great speed, he got her on all sides in one sweeping motion. No less than twenty strikes were made on her.

None of them phased her. She didn't even appear too alert. Qrow gritted his teeth as he shifted his sword into gun mode. Before he could aim and fire, the woman punched him right in the face and sent him flying into the dense forest in front of the village.

As he got to his feet, he wiped the blood from his lips. His Aura hadn't done anything for that blow! This was turning out to be a nasty fight. She might have had some kind of anti-Aura semblance. No, that was a bit too ridiculous. She might have had some kind of weapon.

The girl walked leisurely through the foliage, looking for Qrow. It kind of peeved him to see her so unguarded. From the look of things, she had pretty good night vision. What came next told him just how badly this was going to get. The woman's arm twisted violently and morphed into some kind of wing like dark black appendage.

This had officially entered strange territory. With a flash, she was just in front of him. Her vile looking arm whipped him through a number of tree trunks. Fortunately, his Aura still protected him from the force of breaking through tree trunks.

Gritting his teeth, he aimed his gun and fired round after round of bullets at her face. Honestly, he couldn't find it in him to be shocked by her catching the dust bullets in her mouth and chewing them. Apparently she liked the taste of fire dust rounds.

While she was enjoying her meal, he made a run for it. Not even ten seconds after starting to run, Qrow found her in front of him. When they collided, he was pushed aside. For a dainty looking thing, she had a dense body.

Tears were still running down her face, "You poor dear, to have to die alone here. Why couldn't you withhold your curiosity?" She rose her appendage high before she stopped. A look of glee burst from her features, "Great news! I can let you go. I'm so glad I can spare you, even if it's just because I must horde the others. Live well, for your brethren that can't. Have a good night." With grace that even a Schnee would be jealous of, the woman strode off.

Though it grinded his gears and damaged his pride, he couldn't save the hostages. Holding his wounded body, which his Aura was failing to heal, he made a run for it. His allies needed to be alerted to this.

From the look of things, this wouldn't be an isolated incident.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Rescue Operation with a Side of Intimidation

In the headmaster's office, Ozpin sat down as he rubbed his temples. Glynda was beside him with her ever stern expression. At the moment, the man wanted to dump everything on his assistant and be done with this.

"James, I need you to understand that actions like this are very unfavorable", Ozpin reiterated.

The image of General James Ironwood was on a screen as he stared resolutely at the headmaster of Beacon. "Once again, I must stress that my actions were both justified and necessary."

"James, I want my students back. This matter has been blown completely out of proportions."

"Look, Ozpin, we are in difficult times and we require answers. With the tournament coming up, we can't afford suspicious activities. Ms. Duke was being difficult. And more importantly, something is strange about that girl. The amount of power she demonstrated was too abnormal. My instincts are telling me that she's knows something", James insisted.

This caused Ozpin to lean back in his chair and speak warningly, "I know Naruto Uzumaki and this young man can be… rash at the best of times. If you insist on detaining the girl, without just cause, then I shall wish you the best of luck. Your paranoia is doing you a disservice. Good day." Ozpin turned off the connection before James could continue.

"Was that wise? I don't believe James will appreciate being brushed aside like that."

"That will be the least of his problems. If I know anything about Mr. Uzumaki it's that he plays by his own rules. As playful as he typically acts, he runs a tight ship. Team NROM are a close knit team and I have little doubt that they will attempt a rescue."

"That's a bold statement. What can three students honestly do?" Glynda sounded skeptical at best. She browsed through the team's records, "As charismatic as he is, I'm not sure he can pull this off. Do we even want him to pull it off?"

Ozpin rose from his seat and looked at the view from his office, "It is no longer my concern. I assure you, by the end of the day, James will see that questioning that girl is more trouble than it's worth."

…

In the skies of Vale, the remainder of Team NROM traveled to Oska's location. At sonic speeds, a funnel of wind carried the lot of them. Hair lashing wildly behind them, they could barely see the ship.

Until the funnel slammed onto the top of it. Miles away from the school was a large aerial carrier. The ship rocked from the turbulence as Naruto smiled wildly, "Let's rescue Oska!" The others cheered in agreement.

Moka, in her released state, began the assault. She rushed through iron bolted double doors causing both sides to fly out precariously. The males ducked easily enough and followed behind her. With total disregard for the structural integrity, she rushed right through a number of walls.

"I feel that this isn't the most efficient method of raiding this ship", Rikuo admitted worriedly.

His leader didn't seem phased by the wonton destruction, "It's a little late to worry about discretion. We are breaking so many laws as it is, might as well throw caution to the wind."

"Stand down intruder or you will be shot", a white armored guard commanded. Behind him was a team of guards with their weapons pointed at the team.

Without a second thought, Moka threw one of the destroyed walls right at them. Rikuo nearly screamed as he saw the soldiers get thrown like rag dolls and break apart.

"What are you doing!? That's too much", he cried as he shook his partner.

She averted her eyes and coughed into her fist, "You waste your concern on such things."

Rikuo's ire was redirected by Naruto's whistling, "These are some pretty neat robots. Man, technology just keeps moving forward. I'm impressed." His words rang true as there were body parts with circuits sparking.

"Let's just find Oska before you two bring this place down", Rikuo said with a tired sigh.

"That's the spirit", Naruto said with a gusto. "Since the guards appear to be robotic, we don't have to be too careful."

All of their eyes glistened in happiness. No mercy.

Like a radar, Naruto and Moka were able to pick up Oska's energy. Leading the way, they ran towards her location. "Move!" Naruto roared as they each moved aside and missed ice spikes hitting their previous location.

A white haired woman with military attire walked out. In her hands were a pair of rapiers. "This is unacceptable. You all will cease and desist. There are suitable prisons on board for the lot of you."

Naruto's body shook wildly as he leaned back and began to laugh, "This is too good. You think I'll just obey you!? You have my dear friend locked up here and you think I'll follow your reasoning? Woman get out of my sight. Or should I say, Winter Schnee?" The blonde kitsune wasn't smiling at the moment. Conviction strengthened his words.

"If you're aware of my identity, then you should be equally aware of your capture or worse."

"Don't kid yourself. This can only end in your defeat", he retorted hotly.

Winter Schnee was the older sister of Weiss. He had gleaned a lot of her capabilities and behavior from digging around in the younger Schnee's mind. It hadn't been too thoroughly, considering that he hadn't found it interesting.

Naruto's five tails stretched out and lit flames on each tip. Collecting his foxfire, he turned to the others, "Go to Oska, I'll deal with this situation." Shifting his weight slightly forward, he flung all of the flames at Winter.

With the grace of an expert, she dodged the flames and their following explosions.

"You two aren't going any-"

Winter was cut off as Naruto seemingly teleported in front of her, grabbed her hands, and flung her across the hallway. This gave the rest of his team ample time to pass her by. The blonde made his way to her with a big smile, "Shame on you. You let two people bypass you. The General will be most displeased. Does someone like you belong in the Atlas military", he questioned in a kind voice.

The woman got back on her feet and summoned a number of bird like constructs. Pointing at him, she had them assault him.

He backed up and was narrowly dodging them. Then, his tails swung and brushed them aside with a small gust of wind. Spinning out of the way of an incoming construct, he dashed right at her. Once he was inside of her guard, he thrusted his tails at every possible opening.

She held her ground and deflected his tails with her weapons. Their respective means of attack clashed at each other. Two tails held her blades at bay. Using a kick as a distraction, he landed an uppercut like blow with his tails at her chin. Just as her feet left the ground, a free tail wrapped around her neck.

Undeterred she used her left rapier to aim for his neck. Inches away from contact, Naruto released her and backed away from her attack range. Opposite to her expectations, Naruto wore a wide smile that went to his eyes. Sharp fangs shined through his smile.

She lunged at him and stabbed her blades into each of his shoulders. With some struggling she was able to cut both his arms off. No blood spilled even as his arms fell to the ground. Detached, his arms rose from the ground and circled an unfazed Naruto.

Like a rocket they shot out at the Schnee woman. She back flipped and avoided the right arm. She brought down her blades and deflected the other arm. Spinning, she blocked the returning right arm. She used fire dust to try to incinerate the arms through a horizontal arc. Both arms dropped to avoid the flames.

Seeing an opening, she pierced the left hand, but couldn't find the missing arm. It burst from the floor and held her ankle. Pulling her weight up, it twirled and released her, just in time to collide into a floating fist.

As she grunted on the floor, both arms melded with the ground. Rapidly, they shot out of the ground and ricochet as they hit her repeatedly.

"Fall, Winter", Naruto said as he kicked her squarely in the chest, sending her flying.

"Silence!" She yelled in return. Glyphs appeared beneath her and boosted her speed to dash at him. She unleashed a barrage of thrusts.

Each and every one of them were dodged by a hair length. She targeted his ankle and he jumped. She used her free hand to slash vertically, but he spun out of the way. Multiple glyphs appeared around them and she attempted to ricochet through them.

Naruto's arms reconnected and he took hold of the glyphs. Even as her face morphed to one of shock, he slammed the symbols unto her face, disorienting her. "Get up, Winter. This isn't over." He took her by the neck and tossed her into what appeared to be a mess hall. She collided with a number of tables and chairs.

A sharp wind picked up in the room. As Naruto slowly walked towards her, the winds picked up rapidly. Flinging a single tail, the whole room was engulfed in snow. The results was some bizarre winter wonderland. Frost traveled from his fists to his biceps. Cracking his neck in an unnatural angle, he smiled, "What's wrong, too frosty for you Winter!?"

Narrowing her eyes, she called forth another glyph. This time a wolf appeared to be coming from it.

Naruto punched the floor and ice traveled up to her and froze her legs. By that time, the wolf Grimm had been summoned and snarled at Naruto. His smile never fell off his face, with a snap of his fingers, an ice golem rose behind him, its head reached the roof. "Mine's bigger", he taunted.

The last thing Winter saw was a huge ice fist tearing her summon apart and colliding with her form. She was knocked out instantly as she slammed into the back wall.

"Well, that's that." Whistling, he went his merry way.

…

General Ironwood grimaced as he received reports. Three children were taking over his ship. Winter had been found unconscious and a pair of them were racing towards Oska Duke. He could almost see Ozpin shaking his head. It riled him up something fierce.

It came as little surprise when his door was kicked open. The blonde menace of a leader strolled in like he owned the place. The boy wore a too wide smile that held a complexity of emotions. For someone who had battled Winter Schnee, he looked particularly fresh.

"You have no right to invade my ship, boy!" He roared, standing up. Some punk and his team weren't going to humiliate his forces like this. Such blatant disrespect had to be punished. "Just how many laws and regulations do you think you're breaking right now? As admirable it is to save one's allies, you lot have selected a poor enemy."

"Silence", the Faunus stated. There was near palpable venom laced in his words. The lack luster presence was washed out, leaving a nearly predatory countenance behind. Still the boy smiled. "I don't care or recognize your laws, human. I was doing what I pleased before you were even conceived!"

Ironwood was faintly aware how dangerous the boy was. Callousness and kindness slurred into his words as some kind of foul concoction. Something just short of madness was flowing from the fox Faunus.

"You words are nothing to the wind. You still speak because it amuses me. I am he who has traversed countless lands and ages. My mind is sharper than any of your blades. And you dare command me!" The boy was almost snarling at this point.

Ironwood was hit with the distasteful presence he had only faced with Grimm. Fear rattled him for but a second before he reigned it in. Life and death situations were nothing new to him. Though from the looks of things, this Naruto had caught onto his slip. Regardless, he had to look for an opening.

Naruto was chuckling darkly, "Just a little bit, I think I understand why the Grimm pester you so much. Did you really think you could screw around with my team and get away with a slap on the wrist?" The arrogant brat inched closer until he was inches from his face, "With one hand I can rip every happy memory of yours asunder and mutilate them into never-ending horrors. Your dreams are my domain! Do not think to scold me!"

The Atlas General felt his body go rigid. Naruto placed his hands on both sides of his face and leered. "Let's see what so important, shall we?" When the boy touched his mind, images of his experiences seemed to replay in the General's sight. Every little dirty secret, conspiracy, and organization were stolen from him.

All the while, the boy wore that frustrating smile of his. Laughter erupted from the blonde teen as tears almost ran down his face, "Humans are so amazing, but it's time for you to sleep. By the time this is over, it would've all been a bad dream."

The General's eyes grew heavy and before he knew it, he was unconscious. Laughter continued to echo in the room.

…

Moka and Rikuo turned the corner to see Penny standing in their way.

"Why are you invading?" Penny questioned more curious than upset.

Rikuo coughed into his fist and explained, "We're here to bust out our teammate, Oska."

Penny placed her hand on her chest and sighed, "I have become close friends with her and I don't want to lose that. I cannot help directly, but it appears that I don't need to." She pointed to the left, "You must continue that way to break her of her confines."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to let her know", Rikuo said.

Moka nodded in respect to the girl and went after Rikuo.

Sirens were blaring loudly as the duo raced to the location. They ended up in a long hallway that ended with prison quarters. Moka rushed ahead and did a flying kick at the door. It broke under her might.

Oska small form ran past Moka and rushed into a hug towards Rikuo. "Darling! I knew you would come to rescue me~." Both their forms fell to the ground, which surprised Oska, considering that Naruto had always been able to hold her up. Opening her eyes she grunted in disappointment.

"Sorry for not being Naruto", Rikuo grunted out. He was pulled up by Oska after she disengaged the hug. He could respect Naruto, who could take out those hugs. "I hope you didn't let yourself get kidnapped so you could be 'rescued'."

Cute tears ran down her face and she whimpered, "Why didn't Darling come rushing for me?" She completely ignored her teammate's question. She had bigger concerns.

"Why would you think I wouldn't, oh so captured beauty", Naruto whispered in her ears as he appeared out of nowhere.

Oska smiled widely and ran to hug him. Naruto smiled softly and returned the hug. "There's no way I would leave my partner behind." His hands softly caressed her head. "But we had some help, didn't we guys?" His eyes looked onto Penny, who was nervously standing by.

"She directed us to your cell", Rikuo added in.

Oska puffed her chest, "That's my buddy. I knew she was reliable. Thanks a lot Penny."

"It was my pleasure. Is this not what friends do?" Penny replied.

"Of course it is, Penny. It is when we unite that we gain true power. Despite it being inconvenient, you still aided in her rescue. As her partner, I thank you for your contribution", Naruto said kindly.

Moka flicked her hair in mild interest before looking the red haired girl up and down. "You aren't human."

Penny froze in anxiousness and failed to reply. She was nervously rubbing her left arm in fear.

"It's fine", Moka said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah! None of us are humans or Faunus. We're monsters!" Oska said proudly as she stood tall. It didn't looked nearly as impressive as she thought, considering that she was the smallest of the group. They found her more adorable than anything.

"Monster? I was informed that such things were fancies of the mind, stories to scare children."

"Nope~. Monsters are just as real as robots with souls. Your secret is safe with us", Oska said energetically. They ignored the ship rocking haphazardly.

Naruto walked up to the girl and looked her right in the eyes, "You helped save my dear partner, there's no way I would reject you for something as minor as not being human. Know this, you'll always have a place with this team." Pulling a card from his pocket, he gift it to her. "If you ever need assistance, burn that card. Oh and Penny, don't be a stranger. We nonhumans need to stick together. "

"This is most glorious", she followed her friend's example and gave the blonde leader and tight hug. The rest followed suit and made it a group hug, even if Moka had to be forced into it.

"It's nice to have warm fuzzy moments like this", Naruto drawled. It seemed insincere with his suspicious smile.

…

When Ozpin saw the whole of Team NROM walking through the halls, he didn't bother to question or comment. It didn't come as much of a shock to the man.

Who was he to question the mysteries of life and the miracles of teamwork? He was but a simple headmaster.

Besides Ozpin didn't get his position without knowing how to read people. If Naruto succeeded without causing war, than he had shown incredible restraint. Past files on Naruto had described him as determined and extreme.

Sipping his tea, he smiled. Poor James. He did not know what he was doing.

…

The next day teams NROM, RWBY, and JNPR were eating together. Naruto was too involved with a bowl of supreme ramen to really pay mind to the conversation. No one dared to interrupt him. They had seen the depths to which he would sink for that bowl.

Swallowing the last bit, he finally spoke, "So we busted Oska from Atlas detainment yesterday."

"I'm shocked that they would release her that easily", Weiss commented in doubt.

Naruto looked downright flabbergasted, "Who said anything about 'release', I said busted out for a reason. The military had very little say."

Yang slammed her fist together, "Your group is so hardcore. I bet that showdown was a thrill."

Nora had a huge pout on her face, "Why weren't we invited? We could've busted some heads just fine."

"That would be incredibly illegal, Nora", Ren said helpfully.

"You're such a fanboy of the law. Live a little, be free Ren, be free!" Nora cried in desperation.

Ren rolled his eyes fondly as he kept Nora away from his face.


End file.
